LDS Church proposes new community near future Tooele Valley Temple

[dareka]

https://www.sltrib.com/religion/2020/05 ... poses-new/

I saw this and wondered if this is an attempt for the church to offset the cost of the temple, or if maybe it's a way to make sure only desirable sorts live near the temple. Any thoughts?

[alas]

The church probably had a bunch of land donated in the middle of no where, so they are building a temple, to turn the land into valuable building lots, which they can sell for a whole lot more than what the land would be worth without a temple. As side benefits, they can make the houses more expensive to keep it a nice lovely neighborhood.

[Just This Guy]

Real Estate speculation at it's finest. They know real estate value will go up when they build the temple, so buy the land cheap, build, and when the temple is finished, sell for a huge mark-up and pocket the profit.

[Not Buying It]

It totally makes sense that the Church would do something like this, because we all know how concerned Jesus was about real estate ventures.

"The metamorphosis of Jesus Christ from a humble servant of the abject poor to a symbol that stands for gun rights, prosperity theology, anti-science, limited government (that neglects the destitute) and fierce nationalism is truly the strangest transformation in human history." - Rainn Wilson

[Palerider]

I just wondered what the great industry was that is going to support this community?

Admittedly, I haven't been to Tooele in maybe....well, maybe never. But isn't it just a town in the desert down there, with some sort of military goings on? I don't know southern Utah that well.

[wtfluff]

I don't know southern Utah that well.

Maybe because Tooele isn't in Southern Utah?

[alas]

I don't know southern Utah that well.

Maybe because Tooele isn't in Southern Utah?

If this new community was in Southwest Utah, I would think it was a great idea, rather than a purposeless money making venture. Southern Utah is the fastest growing area of Utah. No, Tooele is in north western Utah, think just south of the Salt Flats, think West Utah desert. Tooele county has the small town of Tooele and the Air Force test range, and sheep ranchers, and sage brush. It has nothing with which to support a new community. I thought them building a temple was kinda dumb, but a whole new community? My hubby was over the test range while he was still active duty, it is so much nothing that it is where they test bombs. Now, not all of Tooele county is test range, but you get the idea that Tooele county is the most empty deserted county in all of Utah.

[moksha]

Tieing a Temple to a real estate development project is a stroke of genius for the LDS Corporation. Customers want to live close to a Temple and that jacks up the price of existing housing. Why not capture and cultivate that market all at once? I imagine this will be the business model for the other announced, but yet to have been started Temples in Utah and perhaps the Jell-O Belt.

[Palerider]

I don't know southern Utah that well.

Maybe because Tooele isn't in Southern Utah?

If this new community was in Southwest Utah, I would think it was a great idea, rather than a purposeless money making venture. Southern Utah is the fastest growing area of Utah. No, Tooele is in north western Utah, think just south of the Salt Flats, think West Utah desert. Tooele county has the small town of Tooele and the Air Force test range, and sheep ranchers, and sage brush.

Ah. Thanks for the info Alas. How kind of you. I should have taken the time to look it up on Google maps but I thought it was a relatively desert region and assumed southern Utah.

Maybe the church will encourage the state to give tax breaks to some high tech business to move there? Or maybe they'll just create a huge retirement community made up of temple worshippers.

[lostinmiddlemormonism]

Follow the Profit...

[Linked]

Maybe because Tooele isn't in Southern Utah?

If this new community was in Southwest Utah, I would think it was a great idea, rather than a purposeless money making venture. Southern Utah is the fastest growing area of Utah. No, Tooele is in north western Utah, think just south of the Salt Flats, think West Utah desert. Tooele county has the small town of Tooele and the Air Force test range, and sheep ranchers, and sage brush.

Ah. Thanks for the info Alas. How kind of you. I should have taken the time to look it up on Google maps but I thought it was a relatively desert region and assumed southern Utah.

Maybe the church will encourage the state to give tax breaks to some high tech business to move there? Or maybe they'll just create a huge retirement community made up of temple worshippers.

Tooele is close enough to SLC to commute for work, so I don't think those who move in will struggle too hard to find work.

In my experience the homes around the temples are often owned by older folks who have retired, whether they mean to create that retirement community or not.

[alas]

If this new community was in Southwest Utah, I would think it was a great idea, rather than a purposeless money making venture. Southern Utah is the fastest growing area of Utah. No, Tooele is in north western Utah, think just south of the Salt Flats, think West Utah desert. Tooele county has the small town of Tooele and the Air Force test range, and sheep ranchers, and sage brush.

Ah. Thanks for the info Alas. How kind of you. I should have taken the time to look it up on Google maps but I thought it was a relatively desert region and assumed southern Utah.

Maybe the church will encourage the state to give tax breaks to some high tech business to move there? Or maybe they'll just create a huge retirement community made up of temple worshippers.

Tooele is close enough to SLC to commute for work, so I don't think those who move in will struggle too hard to find work.

In my experience the homes around the temples are often owned by older folks who have retired, whether they mean to create that retirement community or not.

Well, part of their planned community will be restricted to 55+. So, they are aiming this at the retired folk. And if they have a lot of retired folk, then they can have a few people who work for businesses to serve al, those retired people and they don’t need a lot of jobs. I haven’t seen a map, so I don’t know how exactly where the new temple is going to be, but it may well be an easy commute into SLC on I80. It is apparently close to a town called Erda, if anybody knows where that is. What they will need is water, which they will have to pipe in from somewhere.

[Hagoth]

Well, part of their planned community will be restricted to 55+. So, they are aiming this at the retired folk.

A captive audience of temple workers.

[Linked]

Ah. Thanks for the info Alas. How kind of you. I should have taken the time to look it up on Google maps but I thought it was a relatively desert region and assumed southern Utah.

Maybe the church will encourage the state to give tax breaks to some high tech business to move there? Or maybe they'll just create a huge retirement community made up of temple worshippers.

Tooele is close enough to SLC to commute for work, so I don't think those who move in will struggle too hard to find work.

In my experience the homes around the temples are often owned by older folks who have retired, whether they mean to create that retirement community or not.

Well, part of their planned community will be restricted to 55+. So, they are aiming this at the retired folk. And if they have a lot of retired folk, then they can have a few people who work for businesses to serve al, those retired people and they don’t need a lot of jobs. I haven’t seen a map, so I don’t know how exactly where the new temple is going to be, but it may well be an easy commute into SLC on I80. It is apparently close to a town called Erda, if anybody knows where that is. What they will need is water, which they will have to pipe in from somewhere.

Looks like it is a 29 minute drive from Erda to SLC according to google maps. Heck, that's better than from some places in Salt Lake county.

[Random]

I kind of wonder what's in their heads. First a city they plan to build in Florida and now this. Do they think they are building precursors to Zion, I wonder?

[2bizE]

Actually,
Tooele county is one of the top 10 fastest growing counties in the nation. There are many homes going in as it is about 30 minutes to salt lake, but feels remote and country.
The church has been doing this community thing around temples recently. Mesa Arizona, New Zealand, and some other places. I’m not sure of all the reasons, but perhaps a need to ensure all the property around is appealing. Remember the old Ogden Temple....?

http://blog.tooelehomesforsale.com/tooele-county/

[DPRoberts]

Yes, Erda is now another suberb of SLC. I have a coworker who has commuted from Erda to SLC proper for years. He enjoys or maybe i should say enjoyed the semi rural character of the place. Another coworker also commutes from out that way. Not uncommon any more.

[lostinmiddlemormonism]

What do you get if you cross a religion with a real estate developer for $200 Alex.

[wtfluff]

What do you get if you cross a religion with a real estate developer for $200 Alex.

Yup. The first line of the article makes me giggle/cringe all at the same time:

Real estate developers for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints...

Why does a "Church" need or employ "Real Estate Developers???"

[Thoughtful]

I used to live in Tooele.

The Erda location was controversial for a few reasons.
1- land was donated on the East Bench of Tooele proper, and the church chose Erda, buying land to do it.

2-The temple site includes an old mom and pop restaurant, that's being forced out-- they would have closed anyway in the near future, but this accelerated their business collapse.

3- the area is currently farms and fancy ranchettes. The temple park area includes medium and high density housing. Farmers have concerns about their well water and utility assessments that were paid just to benefit new developments and then ultimately dry up the farms.

4-city folk in trendy Park neighborhoods don't like animal sights, sex, and smells. Farmers and ranchers see the writing on the wall that new high density neighbors will complain and influence politics against them.

5-Old Tooele, including much of Erda and Grantsville farms hate city folk upstarts, their politics, the ensuing taxes etc. So Old Tooele (who also wanted the temple on the bench) doesn't really want to develop the "bedroom community of SLC" farther out of Stansbury and into Erda.

The ONLY Tooele people I know who are excited about this are in real estate sales.